Review by Ritchie Birnie for MPM
The troublesome sophomore album, well Florence Black just asked the question what the fuck is that? Not only did they produce a top three debut of the last decade they just lit a firework up the ass of 2024 with the blistering Bed of Nails.
I am still in shock at how good this album is but as it is my job let me try and sum up the brilliance on display. The album opens with “Start Again” and the only way I can describe it is imagine it is the dead of night, you are driving down a country road with no lights, the accelerator is glued to the floor and you know that at the end of the road is a cliff edge, oh, and that bag of mushrooms you took half an hour ago have kicked in. This track is obliteration personified, It kicks off with Tristan shoving a machine head through your eardrums as Jordan and Perry go full fight club on the rest of your body. This is the best opening track in a very long time.
My hands are still shaking as “Don’t Hold me Down” starts and we have a slightly (very slightly) reprise from full on sonic devastation. We have the catchiest riff this side of Iommi and Perry is thunderous on this track (as he is for the full album). This song will have its hooks in you from the off and the breakdown is dynamite.
The title track is the first of many surprises with its electronic intro and Linkin Park opening. Tristan has his guitar on the devil drags your nuts across glass mode until we get the most melodic breakdown mixed with death metal growls. This number will have you punch drunk.
With a title like “Taxman” you have to be pissed off and angry and Tristan drags out his very best Ricky Warwick Almighty era and just throws us a stunning solo like an uneaten meal tossed out a car window (please don’t do this…ever).
Time for another sudden change of direction as we somehow flit back to late 80s with “Look Up” and I sit here shaking my head wondering if there is nothing these boys cannot do. Huge anthemic power with a chorus to die for and a side we have never seen from this band and this track will not get out of your head, it is meant for a long summer drive, windows down and singing at the top of your lungs.
We finally catch a breath with “Warning Sign” and it is another winner. The boys have dabbled in these waters before but they have honed everything to perfection here, the solo, the vocals, the melody, everything is done to perfection.
For the third track in a row we have steered clear of the Florence Black brutality meter and there is no selling out here, they are dealing their cards on this album, spreading their wings and they are soaring. There is more than one way to bring the power and the boys have added to their sound like another quiver to their bow.
Florence Black does AC/DC with Lemmy on vocals? Go on then, why the hell not. “The Way Home” is down right dirty Rock’n’Roll with a swagger and attitude all of its own. Fast, frantic and fucking beautiful.
With a title like “Solid” it was obvious this track would be a force of nature and like a tsunami it comes at you with no shame and nothing will stand in its way and like those waves battering down everything in their wake the chorus repeats its way into your very soul.
“Rockin’ Ring” starts like Maiden’s writing on the wall with its floaty guitar work but unlike that song when this kicks in fasten your seatbelt and make sure you have a clean pair of underwear handy as this is a sheer metal frenzy, imagine sharks with a sea full of chum and if you survive this track you are going to hold a whole new level of admiration for this band. This is an incredible track from start to finish.
I cannot take much more of this, “The Forrest” has gone full prog and it may just be the title but Rush’s The Trees came to mind. Again we get the floaty guitar and Tristan breathing gently through your speakers. This song should not work, it is not Florence Black, it is not 100% full on, it, it, it is fucking amazing. I have given up trying to even fathom what the boys were thinking when they came to do this album. I remember when the album was announced for release listening to the debut and thinking I don’t want another one just the same and I can only laugh at that statement now. This band has superseded any and every expectation I had.
The boys finish up with a ballad in “Back to the End” which has a little Bryan Adams feel but the lyrics hit home like a mutherfucker. This is a beautiful number and full of pain, angst and hope. This song shows just how far Florence Black have came in a short time. Their depth, their songwriting and their persona is leaps and bounds above the three stunning EPs and a debut album that I absolutely adore.
I really did not think that Florence Black could match Weight of the World never mind surpass it but Bed of Nails leaves it in its dust. The band have outdone themselves and that debut in every single facet. The gauntlet is down 2024 but I am willing to bet my house that this album will not be beaten.
BED OF NAILS tracklisting:
1. START AGAIN
2. DON’T HOLD ME DOWN
3. BED OF NAILS
4. TAXMAN
5. LOOK UP
6. WARNING SIGN
7. BEAUTIFUL LOVER
8. THE WAY HOME
9. SOLID 9
10. ROCKIN’ RING
11. THE FOREST
12. BACK TO THE END
Full live dates:
Nov 30: Trecco Bay Planet Rockstock
Feb 01: Glasgow Classic Grand
Feb 02: Newcastle University
Feb 03: Manchester Academy 3
Feb 05: Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Feb 06: Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill
Feb 08: Bournemouth The Old Fire Station
Feb 09: London The Dome
Feb 10: Cardiff Tramshed
Tickets are on sale here: https://www.florenceblack.uk
For more information:
https://www.florenceblack.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/florenceblackUK/
https://twitter.com/florenceblackUK/
https://www.instagram.com/florenceblackuk/
